Voters head to polls across state to decide mayoral races

As polls closed, Democrats held 63 of Indiana's mayoral offices, while Republicans had 54.\nThe state parties said they each spent more than $750,000 on local races, in part because city hall victories could help build support for next year's state elections, including the race for governor.\nOne of the most competitive contests took shape in Fort Wayne, where Republican Linda Buskirk attempted to unseat Fort Wayne's Democratic incumbent Graham Richard.\nThe two ran against each other in 1999, when Buskirk lost by 129 votes. This time, debate focused on economic development and the future of an aging mall on the city's south side.\nIn Evansville, Democratic state Rep. Jonathan Weinzapfel sought to unseat Russell Lloyd Jr.\nLloyd is the only Republican mayor among the state's five largest cities. He won by 519 votes in 1999, making him the first Republican to win the office since his father's 1975 victory.\nDemocrat Bart Peterson easily won a second term as mayor of Indianapolis. With nearly all 914 precincts counted, Peterson had 63 percent of the vote, compared with 37 percent for his Republican opponent, Greg Jordan. Peterson enjoyed a huge fundraising advantage over Jordan, the Marion County treasurer.\nIn Bloomington, Democrat Mark Kruzan, a former Indiana House majority leader, defeated Republican Fred Prall, an accountant. Mayor John Fernandez, a Democrat, did not seek re-election after two terms.\nEast Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick faced a little-known Republican in his quest for a ninth term in the heavily Democratic city along Lake Michigan.\nIn South Bend, incumbent Mayor Steve Luecke won a third term, defeating Republican Thomas Schmidt, a business owner. Luecke received about 6,000 more votes than Schmidt.\nGary Mayor Scott King, a Democrat, was expected to easily win a third term over Republican Charles R. Smith Jr., a business consultant, in a city where Democrats have dominated for decades.\nIn nearby Hammond, Republican Mayor Duane Dedelow Jr. lost to Democrat Thomas McDermott Jr., whose father was Dedelow's Republican predecessor. Dedelow was in office for 10 years, but Democrats hold all nine City Council seats.\nSeveral cities -- including Anderson, Crown Point, Jeffersonville, Lafayette and Terre Haute -- picked new mayors after incumbents either did not seek re-election or lost during the May primary.\nThe secretary of state's office planned to post election returns from every mayoral contest in the state on its Web site at www.sos.in.gov.